Busy Hart
by Ninja Misao
Summary: Jennifer and Jonathan Hart's jobs are keeping them from enjoying the each other's company. Looks like it's up to Mother Nature to give them a push in the right direction.
1. Part One

Hart to Hart

Busy Hart

Part One

* * *

Jonathan woke up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. The industrialists sighed in distress he missed his wife. It's been a week since he laid eyes on her, while she's been busy with her articles he wasn't doing any better himself. Being swamped at work he found himself not even able to stop in the kitchen for breakfast. No one said being married would be easy, but Jonathan didn't think it would be this hard either.

Jonathan sat up and looked over at the guest room door. He noticed the light was on due to the illuminated outline from the door frame. As he moved closer his ears picked up the sound of a typewriter. He pulled away from the door and looked over at the clock, squinting in the dark it read five-thirty in the morning. Jonathan knew he couldn't sleep anymore so he took a cold shower and slipped into his gray business suit.

After styling his hair Jonathan looked over at the guest room once more. He wanted to walk over to that door open it and sweep his wife up into his arms, but he merely sighed and walked down stairs.

Jonathan expected to see Freeway by the door but he was surprised to see a sleepy Max instead.

"Mr. H." Max said seriously.

"I know Max…I know." Jonathan said in a defeated tone.

Max closed the door behind Mr. Hart and sighed sadly. The place was quiet with only the bell from the typewriter and a bark from Freeway to keep him company. Max shook his head as he walked back into the living room. He sat back down on the couch with a bowl of oatmeal as he turned on the TV.

"Whatever is going on between you two I hope you both figure it out soon." Max said before enjoying a spoonful of sugary oats.


	2. Part Two

Hart to Hart

Busy Hart

Part Two

* * *

In the guestroom with a mixture of papers and magazines out all over the floor, a red haired woman with jade green eyes wearing a simple cotton blue shirt and pair of blue jeans was busy typing away on her pastel red typewriter. Freeway barked as the typewriter bell rang. Jennifer smile as she scratched the Lowchen behind the ears.

It's been over a week since Jennifer Hart left this room. She's been so busy with her various articles that she could no longer enjoy her husband's embrace. Blinking away her tears Jennifer continued typing in hopes that one day she could enjoy the sight of her husband once more.

Jennifer stood up when she heard a knock on the door. She walked over to the door and after taking a deep breath she opened it to see Max standing there with an egg sandwich and a cup of coffee.

"Thank you Max." Jennifer said.

"You're welcome Mrs. H." Max replied.

As tired as he was Max could see the discomfort in her eyes. Jennifer walked over many papers and set down the sandwich and coffee near the typewriter. Max leaned in the doorway of the makeshift private study seeing the masses of papers all over the place. He even spotted some hanging from the various cabinets filled with writing books. Jennifer sat down with a content sigh as she took a sip from her mug.

"It's a bit messy in there Mrs. H, you want me to clean it up for ya?" Max asked.

"No… I'll clean it up later." Jennifer promised.

Max nodded and Freeway bark happily waging his tail, the butler smile he pet the happy pup before shutting the door behind him.

As Max walked down the stairs he stopped when he threw he felt the earth move. He shook it off and continued down the stairs.

Jennifer leaned back in her chair scratching Freeway behind the ears. The pup hopped on her lap as she sighed loudly scratching her own head this time. After all this time typing away on this old typewriter Jennifer finally experience something she never felt before…writer's block.

"I miss him Freeway." Jennifer said

Freeway barked than whimpered Jennifer hugged the pup and silently cried in his fur. Jennifer knew why she was like this, but she didn't want to interrupt Jonathan she knew he was very busy and with his two major clients coming in today she had a feeling she would be in the way.  
"You know I wish I could be with my husband right now, but oh well maybe another time." Jennifer dreamed.

Freeway merely barked and whimpered while Jennifer continued to hug him. She closed her eyes for just a moment only to shoot them open when the room began to shake.

As the shaking intensified various writing supplies in the cabinets fell onto the floor. Jennifer screamed as one of the cabinets fell over blocking the door. Freeway jumped out of her lap as Jennifer stood up and backed away from the table, with her toes just missing the typewriter. With all the constant shaking and the lights flickering Jennifer could barely stand up. After another hard jerk Jennifer was off her feet and flat on the floor her head smacking hard on the debris laced carpet. Jennifer winced in pain as she tried to sit up, but she soon gave into the pain pulsing through her head and closed her eyes letting darkness finally claim her.


	3. Part Three

Hart to Hart

Busy Hart

Part Three

* * *

The sun shined brightly in the clear blue sky while the earth shook violently in California. Many people ran out of different buildings in a state of panic as screams rang out in the streets. Many cars slinked under the cracked pavement while many windows shattered showering down a wave of broken glass upon the sidewalks. All of this happened in a matter of moments and after a few moments which felt like hours the quake finally subside

At Jonathan industries everyone on the lower levels made it outside safely, while many people on the upper levels were safe some were still injured. Jonathan Hart manage to stand within the door frame of his office with Deanne. Once the quake was over his secretary tended to some of the employees while Jonathan tried to call home. When he received no answer panic and fear washed over his mind, he needed to get home and he needed to get there now.

"Deanne." Jonathan said.

"Go, I will take care of things here." the young blond said seriously.

Jonathan nodded and ran down the stairs into the business parking lot. The lot was partially buried but luckily his pastel yellow Mercedes Benz with the license plate reading hart one survived. Jonathan hopped into the pastel yellow car, he slipped his key in the ignition and tried to turn on the car but it didn't start. He tried once more and again the car would not start. Jonathan hit the steering wheel frustrated, he sigh and took a long deep breath.

"Please I need to get home to my wife." Jonathan pleaded.

He turned the key for a third time and the car started up; he wasted no time and pulled of the hazardous parking lot on to the main cracked uneven road. He put his foot down on the gas with only one destination in mind; he just hoped it wasn't too late.

At the Hart residence it looked bad the electric was out and shattered windows added glass to the mixture of debris on the floor. Max was in the living room lying down on the couch when the quake hit. The couch was now covered in glass, ceiling fixtures and more unwanted debris but luckily Max was not underneath. The butler managed to prop himself up between the door frame of the living room saving him and his glass of bourbon from too much harm. The howling of Freeway reached Max's ears. The butler down his glass of bourbon then ran upstairs.

"Mrs. H! Freeway!" Max yelled.

When the only sound Max could hear was the constant barking of the family's beloved pooch he grew worried. Max tried the door knob of the guest room while it did turn he had some trouble opening the door. The scratching and whimpering from Freeway along with the silence from Mrs. H prompted Max to pull the door off its hinges. He was greeted by a scared Freeway but no sign of Jennifer Hart.

"Where is Mrs. H?" Max asked the pup.

The pup barked in response and ran further into the messy room after a couple a minutes Freeway barked and whimpered. Pulling out a flashlight out of the cabinet blocking the entrance, he turned it on and noticed the small entrance into the room. With a grunt Max rolled the flashlight through the entrance then he got down on his knees and squeezed through. Grasping the flashlight Max stood up and scanned the room. He stepped over a typewriter and looked around some more he shined the light on Freeway who was standing there whimpering. Max move the light to see a pair of legs buried under two cabinets. Max stood there swallowing hard as a wave of fear washed over the butler.

"Oh no….Mrs. H." Is all Max could say.


	4. Part Four

Hart to Hart

Busy Hart

Part Four

* * *

Jonathan finally arrived home he pulled up to see the gate on the ground and the roadway cracked. He kept his hopes high as he continued on with caution toward the mansion.

Back at the house in the guestroom, Freeway whimpered as he climbed on to Jennifer's body and walked up to her face. The pup nudged her chin then licked her face and when that didn't work he barked loudly. Jennifer let a moan escape her lips as she opened her eyes. She hissed when she felt a sharp pain welcome her back to the world of the living. Another bark caused Jennifer to look down at the whimpering pup.

Everywhere she looked all Jennifer could see was darkness. So she reached up into the darkness to feel two heavy pieces of wood no doubt two cabinets have fallen over top of her. Luckily they fell at the same time hence the air pocket. Jennifer cough when the smell of gas hit her, she forgot the gas water heater was in the room. To make matters worse a pain pulsed from her right side just above her hip. It was like something was biting down on her with a pair of teeth. Jennifer blinked away a few tears when she came to the conclusion that she was stuck. With little fresh air left she took a deep breath and yelled out.

"Max!"

The butler smiled hearing Mrs. H's voice, he walked closer to the cabinets and coughed as the gas fumes welcomed him. Freeway crawled out and headed for the door his canine ears picked up another sound coming from downstairs. Max bent down with his flashlight to get a better look he could see one of the cabinets was on Mrs. H but he wasn't sure by how much. He could also hear the low hiss of the gas water heater that was by her head. He knew he had to get her out of there, but it looked like he might need a little help.

"It's good to hear ya voice Mrs. H hang on I'm gonna try to get you out." Max said.

"Alright." Jennifer replied.

Max set down the flashlight as he moved one of the cabinets, Jennifer let out a loud hiss of pain as the pressure of the other cabinet biting down on her increased. Mrs. Hart did her best to keep the other cabinet stable but her constant coughing made it difficult to do so. Max set the cabinet back down carefully to its normal spot. Max sighed this wasn't going to work, he grew worried when Jennifer's arms fell back down to the floor.

"Mrs. H?" Max asked.

"I am okay …I just need to take a break." Jennifer said between coughs.

Max coughed as well he knew this wasn't going to work but that didn't stop him from trying.

Jonathan stopped in front of the house he turned off the car and ran inside. Walking on broken glass and various other pieces of debris he scanned over the messy room. With no sight of human life worried slowly began to set in.

"Jennifer! Max!" Jonathan yelled out.

A bark caught his attention, Jonathan ran to the stairs to see Freeway at the top. He ran up the stairs and followed the pup.

"Jennifer! Max!" Jonathan yelled out again.

"In here Mr. H!" Max yelled.

Jonathan ran with Freeway to the guest room. He craw through the small entrance and walked to where he saw the flashlight. There he found Max trying to move the two cabinets with his wife stuck underneath.

"She's trap under one of the cabinets." Max said coughing a little.

Jonathan nodded and coughed as well. He bent down to get a better look only to get a full whiff of gas in the process. After looking over the situation he pressed on the cabinet to the left.

"Can you hold the other cabinet up for a little while darling?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes." Jennifer said with determination.

Max helped Jonathan set the first cabinet back up while Jennifer held the other one up as best she could. With her coughing getting worst it was getting hard for her to maintain a grip.

Max hurried and held onto the other cabinet just as Jennifer went into a full blown coughing fit. Jonathan wasted no time; he found the part of the cabinet biting down on his wife's side and lifted it up. The moment he did so Jennifer rolled out from under it but she couldn't stop coughing as she struggled to breathe.

Once the men set the cabinet down Jonathan helped his wife to her feet. As the three of them hurried to the entrance Max ran ahead of them. The cabinet blocking the door became the next problem, Max tried his best to set the cabinet back up but he let it fall to the ground completely making a bigger opening instead. Max went over the cabinet first, Freeway barked but he backed up to the stairs. Max then helped Jennifer over the cabinet; she was coughing so badly she could barely stand. Once Jonathan carefully stepped over the cabinet he helped Max with Jennifer.

With Freeway leading the way the four of them walked down the stairs and outside the house.

Outside the fresh air welcomed them, while Jonathan and Max were recovering quickly from their limited gas exposure Jennifer wasn't so lucky. Jonathan looked upon his wife with worried eyes. Max and Jonathan laid her down on the grass out front. He held his wife's hand as she struggled to breathe and stay awake.

"Stay with me darling please don't leave me." Jonathan pleaded.

Max could only watch as Mrs. H was fighting for her life. Freeway sat down beside her whimpering. With the telephones down and the roads almost impassible Max and Jonathan could only hope for a miracle.


	5. Part Five

Hart to Hart

Busy Hart

Part Five

* * *

Darkness loomed over Jennifer Hart as she tried to inhale the fresh air into her lungs. It seemed no matter how much air she inhaled it wasn't enough. She could tell they were outside the fresh breeze felt great upon her skin, but she winced when Jonathan touched her wound. She found it funny that the pain along with her darling husband's face were the only things keeping her from plunging into the dark abyss completely. Jennifer wanted to spend more time with her husband but not like this.

Jonathan slipped off his gray blazer and applied pressure to Jennifer's wound. While the crimson liquid wasn't oozing out he thought it was best to keep it covered and his blazer seem like the only choice for the job. His wife groaned in pain but she kept her eyes on him, Jonathan took this as a good sign. Her strained breathing didn't seem as bad as before, but it was still there. After a few more long moments Jennifer turned her head to the side and started coughing. After few more coughs Jennifer squeezed her husband's hand. Freeway barked happily as Max walked over to them. Mrs. H eyes wandered over to Max and Freeway. "Welcome back darling, how do you feel?" Jonathan asked.

"I've had better days." Jennifer replied.

"Glad to have ya back Mrs. H." Max said.

Freeway barked and wagged his tail.

Jennifer smiled as she scratched Freeway behind his ears.

"Thank you both."

Max nodded then turned to Jonathan.

"I'll start up the car Mr. H." Max said.

"Thanks Max, think you can stand darling? Jonathan asked.

"I think so." Jennifer replied.

Jonathan helped his wife up while he continued to apply pressure to her wound. Max sat behind the steering wheel warming up the car with Freeway sitting on his lap, while Jonathan helped his wife to the car.

"Darling your gray blazer is ruined now." Jennifer said.

"It's only a piece of clothing it can be replaced, you on the other hand cannot." Jonathan said.

Jonathan helped Jennifer in the back seat. He sat beside her in the back letting his wife rest her head on his chest, leaving Freeway to take the passenger seat.

"To the hospital Mr. H?" Max asked.

"You said it Max." Jonathan replied.

Max drove out of the Hart residence and back on to the main road. With most of the roads damaged they spotted many abandoned vehicles while the roads were laced with over a dozen and more fire trucks and ambulances.

It's going to be a long wait at the hospital." Jennifer added.

Then we wait, I want you better you gave us all a scare back there." Jonathan said.

Jennifer nodded while she did feel a bit better she knew there was no way she could talk her husband out of taking her to the hospital.

As they continued down the road the earth began to shake, it was subtle at first with a light rumble under the car but after a few moments the ground shook violently. Max pulled over deciding it was best to wait it out. Jonathan and Jennifer held on to each other as they felt the ground sink beneath them. Freeway jumped into Max's lap and whimpered. The butler kept petting the pup while he did his best not to be scared himself.

After a few more powerful shakes it finally subsided. Max tried to start up the car again once the vehicle finally turned over he looked back at Mr. and Mrs. H to make sure they were okay. Jonathan looked back at Max while Jennifer snuggled a bit closer to her husband. Max nodded and after a few moments he turned the steering wheel and they were zooming down the road once more.

"With the aftershock over do ya think Mother Nature will give us a break? Max asked.

"Who knows." Jonathan replied.

While Jonathan wanted to take Jennifer to the hospital everyone that they went to was packed. They couldn't even make it into the parking lot. So they decided it would best to find a place to stay instead. After a bit of searching they found themselves at the Ritz-Carlton. Max checked them in and after some convincing, the manager agreed to let Freeway stay in the hotel as well.

Jonathan opened the door and led his wife to the bed. She laid down with a content painful sigh. He removed his gray blazer from the wound and pulled up his wife shirt. He then properly cleaned Jennifer's wound to which his wife groaned in.

"I know darling, but I am almost done." Jonathan claimed.

Once he bandaged it up he slipped off her shoes then he slipped off his own before laying down beside his wife. Jonathan wrapped his arms around Jennifer as she laid her head on his chest.

"Not bad for a former scout." Jonathan said.

"Indeed." Jennifer replied.

The two of them kiss for a few moments before Jennifer let out a small laugh.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked.

"You know I wish that I could finally be in your arms." Jennifer confessed.

"And here we are." Jonathan said.

"Perhaps we should thank mother nature for making this happen." Jennifer said.

Jonathan laid another kiss on his wife on the lips, Jennifer replied with an even more passionate one. The both of them smiled as they kissed once more.

 _"Thank you Mother Nature."_


End file.
